Some are sure to love it. Others will loathe it. Whatever else you think of "Cloud Atlas," however, you won't feel like you've been there or done that.

Written and directed by "The Matrix" sibling duo of Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run"), the epic, sprawling tale spans roughly five centuries, following six interconnected storylines at different periods along the way. Although characters mostly aren't directly related to those that come after them -- at least one character does appear in two timelines, however -- themes, motifs and visual cues are repeated again and again.

Viewed once, "Cloud Atlas" is intriguing and fairly engrossing, especially for a challenging movie that stretches beyond the two-and-a-half-hour mark. It all but demands a second viewing, which is likely to further establish its genius or reveal more blemishes.

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The hook -- as you may have gathered from the previews -- is that multiple characters in the film are played by the same big-name actors such as Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant. While not all of the main players appear in all six timelines, some do. For instance, Hanks plays everything from a ship's doctor in 1849 to a member of a tribe in post-apocalyptic Hawaii in the early to mid-2300s. Berry, likewise, plays the wife of a famous composer in 1930s Scotland as well as a Korean doctor in Neo Seoul -- built atop the ruins of Seoul -- in 2144.

Not all the roles are major ones. In fact, three of the four aforementioned parts are rather minor. In each timeline, one actor takes the lead. Hanks is front and center in as the tribesman, but Berry's main role is as a reporter investigating corruption at a nuclear power plant in San Francisco in 1973. While the always enjoyable Jim Broadbent plays the composer, he leads as a vanity publisher in 2012 who's tricked by his brother into being imprisoned in an old-folks home where a nasty nurse (a cross-dressing Hugo Weaving) keeps the inmates in line. Other lead roles are played by Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw and Doona Bae.

(The names playing supporting roles are notable, too. Counted among them are Susan Sarandon, James D'Arcy and Keith David.)

It would simply be too complicated and take too many words to adequately summarize all the storylines, so it won't be attempted here. And, really, the less you know going in, the more likely you may be to sit back and let the three filmmakers take you on their unusual journ-ey.

Tykwer and the Wachowskis adapted "Cloud Atlas" from the bestselling, award-winning 2004 novel of the same name by David Mitchell. The book is said to explore the notion of reincarnation, which the filmmakers take on with mixed results. A continuous soul is represented by a comet-shaped mark on their skin, but the mark appears throughout the timelines on different actors, muddying the idea.

More likely, the casting of these notable actors in multiple roles was a way for "Cloud Atlas" to keep costs down. With a reported budget of $100 million, the film is said to have been mostly financed by private sources arranged by the filmmakers, so even with these actors being used again and again, this was an expensive undertaking. Furthermore, the casting is an attention-grabbing gimmick -- and maybe little more than that ultimately, despite what the creative side would like you to think.

But, hey, "Cloud Atlas" has got to be an actor's dream. Few other movies have allowed an actor such as Hanks to stretch his legs quite so much. And he delivers a wonderful performance -- or performances -- in "Cloud Atlas." He is compelling as the burly tribe member, although that period's broken-English dialect gets in the way a little too much, but he's best -- or at least most against type -- as his brief turn as the rage-filled Scottish writer in present day.

Berry is likewise very good, as are all the key players, really. Broadbent comes a little close to overdoing it as the publisher, but he's there largely for comic relief, and he provides it.

The most challenging and, in turn, probably least satisfying timeline is that of futuristic Neo Seoul. The Wachowskis and Tykwer throw a lot at us, Bae playing a sort of genetically engineered servant. She's one of many, but she is being recruited by a revolutionary force to try to end a type of oppression not fully realized by her kind. Where this timeline shines is its visual qualities, the Wachowskis clearly throwing themselves into the futuristic world full of clones and laser weapons. It may remind you more visually of the planet Coruscant from the "Star Wars" prequels than the earth of "The Matrix," but they seem right at home.

Not surprisingly, "Cloud Atlas" is strong visually throughout, with credit also going to two cinematographers. (One worked on three storylines directed by the siblings, the other teaming with Tykwer for the remaining three.)

As unsexy as it sounds, however, the real star of this show is editor Alexander Berner and whoever else helped in that department. "Cloud Atlas" is expertly woven together, never staying too long in one timeline and dancing among them with thoughtful transitions. It truly is amazing that this film never really drags.

Still, you wish for a little more from "Cloud Atlas." You'd like everything to fit together a little more tightly when it's all said and done.

Again, though, that's after one viewing. Check back with us after a second.